"It may yet take an alchemy of Left and Right to confound the corporate center."

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Israel and Ron Paul

Press TV: There has been a lot of speculation that Israel may act on its own and conduct an independent air strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Do you think that’s possible?

Paul: I don’t think there is such a thing as an independent Israel doing anything, because I think no matter what they do it’s our money, it’s our weapons, and they’re not going to do it without us approving it and if they get into trouble we’re going to bail them out, so there is no separation between the two.

Though comments like these would be seen as impolite at worst in any other context, the state of Israel was discussed semi-critically, so one can be sure that Congressman Paul will be accused of "anti-semitism" yet again. The "misuse and abuse" of that term has a long history in American political life, but attaching it to the name of Ron Paul is nothing short of a disgrace.

For years now there have been conflicting views on Israel, with one group arguing that Israel and it's lobby wields an undue influence over U.S. policy in the Middle East and the other side arguing that the tiny Jewish state is essentialy the latest colonial outpost in the American Empire. The truth of that matter is that both are technically correct, with the point expressed by Congressman Paul being the particularly important one. Though the Israel lobby does in fact wield disproportionate influence in Washington, Israel itself is a state entirely beholden to U.S. money and power politics for its survival.

As someone generally predisposed to the notion that states don't have any rights and international institutions are criminal cartels, it is especially annoying to me to see a country of sixty years, that owes its existence to the UN, constantly invoking its "right to exist" as a welfare dependent of American taxpayers. The unwillingness of America's political class to cut off the spigots is partially related to campaign contributions, partially related to our hyper-PC culture of victimization, and partially related to cultural and religious identity politics. Still, regardless of why it happens, this endless flow of weapons and money is the reason Israel survives.

Ron Paul is correct. Israel is not an independent nation and ultimately this is to the detriment of its citizens. If Israel cannot protect itself or its people it ought not exist. The same can (and should) be said of any other country on the planet.

Back in 1981 when the Israeli's attacked a nuclear reactor in Iraq nearly every member of the U.S. legislative branch condemned the assault. Not Ron Paul. In fact he took the floor to defend Israel's right to act independently in the arena of foreign policy.

Leftists might point to this as evidence that Paul has flip-flopped on interventionism and preemption; they would be wrong. The lessons then are the same as they are now. To the Israeli's, sink or swim. To the US, "America First, Second and Third."

Israel spends $15 billion on defense. Our aid to Israel is a small portion of that. Whatever you feel about it, it is absurd to call it a welfare dependency on the U.S., however well that makes you feel for reasons I cannot really fathom.